Goin' to the Big 'D'

[spinr]

I traveling to Dallas for a work-related conference this weekend.  Leaving Sat/Sun and returning on Thursday.

I'm having some apprehension about it; or nervous anticipation at least.

Part of it is that I've elected to drive the distance, from Western N.C. to Dallas, rather than fly.  I've got a fair amount of stuff that I'm taking, along with my CCW pieces, and I really didn't want to bother/risk it with an airline.

About 14 hours on the road is what I'm looking at.  I guess I am a bit of a road warrior, I like driving.  Just never done that much at once before.  I'm afraid I've bitten off more than I can chew.  Though, I'm going to be ever vigilant to take a break every few hours, and not force myself to keep going when I really need to stop.

The other bit is that I'm going it alone.  I've traveled a fair amount in my short life, but it's always been with someone.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fiercely independent person and I'd rather be on my own for most anything, but this is a first for me.

All in all, it should be a great trip.  Everything's being paid for; the fuel for the provided car, the room, the food, etc.  And the group that's holding the conference is having a couple of special events for us.  A 'casino night' with a grand buffet and door prizes one evening and a free Dallas Stars (NHL) game another night.

I would have been a boob to have turned it down, but I still wonder what I've gotten myself into.

:/

Can y'all offer anything about Dallas; or the areas on the way, specifically I-40 from Nashville to Little Rock and I-30 from L. Rock to Dallas?

Thanks!
Steve

[TarpleyG]

specifically I-40 from Nashville to Little Rock and I-30 from L. Rock to Dallas?

Hope you like boring then.  There's nothing along that stretch but flat country and cows.  Oh, and the Mississippi river of course.  Get gas before you get to Memphis...bad town there.  Speed traps used to be abundant throught there in AR and NE Texas.

Where are you staying in Dallas and what do you like to do for fun?  I can probably suggest something for you to get into.

Greg

[Art Eatman]

Hey, think positive!  Driving across country gives you a lot of thinking time!

While you have your map out, find "Tallahassee, Florida".  Now, look up "San Antonio, Texas".  Leaving Thomasville, Georgia, I pick up I-10 at Tally.  From San Antonio, I pick up US 90 to Alpine, Texas.  It's then only 80 miles south to Terlingua.

I make that round trip some three to five times a year.

It ain't no biggie.

I suggest stopping at each state's "Welcome Wagon" when you hit the border.  Pick up a state map and some of the "What to do" stuff.  At the next coffee break, do a little reading.  You sometimes find something that's worth taking a look at.   At the least, you can get a feel for what goes on in that state.

I've made the run from Dallas to Knoxville a couple of times.  I didn't see that the cops were particularly excitable.  They all seem to give around 5mph over the limit.

There's a fair number of TFL and THR folks from the Dallas area...

Art

[Azrael256]

If you're staying on the North side of Dallas, you'll have a generally good time.  Watch out for Dallas drivers.  You will not find drivers like that anywhere in the known universe.  Cars in Dallas have two speeds: wide-open and slamming on the brakes.  It has gotten so bad that the police have taken to occasionally lining up across the highway and driving the speed limit to hold all the traffic behind them at a proper speed.  Look both ways, twice, when a light turns green.  You take your life in your hands crossing an intersection in Dallas.

Leave your piece in the car when you go to the Stars game.  Oh, and try to get there as early as possible.  The American Airlines center was supposed to have a parking garage.  Guess what didn't happen...

And if anybody happens to pick up a copy of the Dallas Morning News today, a girl I went to high school with is featured in an article.  Look for her picture on page 12.

[garrettwc]

Get some books on tape/CD of something you've been meaning to read. Pop those in the player to listen to.

Description of I-40 is pretty accurate. I have family off I-40 about midway between Nashville and Memphis. That stretch of road is boring.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

I did San Diego>Yuma>Grand Canyon>Prescott>Yuma>San Diego without sleep last summer.  28 hours.  I had someone with me, she drove for a bit, a few hours maybe.  That was an experience.

[matis]

"Get some books on tape/CD of something you've been meaning to read. Pop those in the player to listen to."

Excellent suggestion.  I take a bunch out of the library for any lengthy trip.


14 hours should not be a problem for you.

I used to drive from L.A. to NYC and then on to Montreal every year or so.  Never had a problem.

Drove from FLA to Connecticut last summer to pick up my daughter at her dorm.  About 17 hours to get there.  Again no problems.

Main concern is not falling asleep after 10-15 hours or more at the wheel.  That is usually deadly.  I get enough sleep before leaving, bring thermos's of coffee and listen to tapes or radio.  If I get really sleepy, I pull over, usually in a well-lit all-night gas station (never in a "rest"-area -- these should be renamed "mugging" areas) and sleep for an hour or so.  That works wonders to refresh you for the next bout of driving.

I know you will be sure your tires are good, and the car is in sound mechanical condition for the trip.  Breaking down away from home can be very expensive, not to mention dangerous in some areas.

Have a good, safe trip.

(Bring me a souvenir.)  


matis



Edited to add:  A rest-area may be OK if it's crowded, but never sleep in one with only a few cars.)

[spinr]

Thanks guys, I do feel a bit better about the drive now.

I'm going to rig my SIRIUS radio up in the car that's being provided, so I should have plenty of music & talk to keep me going.

I actually will be staying in the Northern part of Dallas, just South of the Richardson area I believe.

What y'all have said about it being lots of nothing along the way supports what a friend of mine who has traveled that stretch a fair amount said; that it's miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.



Thanks again for sharing the knowledge!
Steve

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Be safe, and take pictures for us.

[280plus]

Hey matis, where in CT? Next time give me a holler before you come.

I love long road trips. Alone don't bother me. The secret is to not tell the car your going anywhere far. As long as it thinks it's just going around the block to the store or on a long cruise around town it won't break down on you. Worked every time for me, so far.

[280plus]

And for God's sake. Make sure you got good tires on it. Don't get caught in a middle of nowhere gas station with some guy telling you how bad your tires are. That's a trap son...

[Stand_watie]

That stretch of road is major interstate and has pretty much the same services and things to watch out for as all the others I've driven. Basic southern American farm country. Arkansas and Texas State troopers are known for having little tolerance for speeding but are both professional agencies and aren't out to get you, if you keep it below 5 mph over posted limit you'll be fine. Watch the treeline and powerlines for Red tailed and banded Hawks as they are thicker than thieves along that stretch of interstate (also all over north and east texas)

Tell us what kind of stuff you are interested in doing. Addison is within a mile or two of your hotel, I suspect. Very heavy resturaunt & nightlife neighborhood there.

I see you're a photography buff, if you're interested in driving an hour southeast of town I can spot you to some really pretty Texas countryside locales around my neighborhood. Bluebonnets are just getting into full bloom. Cattle herds (including buffalo and longhorns), rustic barbed wire fences and falling down barns with the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush in the foreground, creek bottoms with great blue herons, cranes and egrets patroling in tandem with the cattle etc.  If you don't want to leave town, and like jungly sort of deep south photography I can direct you to some good riverbottom spots in town. You will want a snake stick, good boots and your ccw with you. They're in rough neighborhoods. Dallas has a nice nightime skyline, I could tell you of a couple good skyline vantage points.

[roo_ster]

Folks say the drive between Little Rock & Dallas is boring. Thing is, you are driving between two very un-boring geographies: Ozarks to the north & the Ouachitas to the south.  Plenty of awesome state parks & sights to see.

Get of of I-30 and see the countryside.

PM me via THR if you want more Big D information.  I may go shooting Saturday AM to prep for the Sunday MHTF (Mierda Hits The Fan).

Oh, avoid downtown this coming Sunday, if you know whats good for you.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

jfruser is quite correct. I'm leaving town for the weekend. The dogs and to a lesser extent, the cats will be guarding the house.  Avoid downtown Dallas this weekend. I do suspect there will be trouble of one form or another and I'm keeping clear of it.

It's ok, the cats know how to work the clickers. The dogs don't have the technical skills or the depth perception.
I've moved far enough north of jfr that I'll likely be out of the 'splash zone'.  

As far as I-30, be cautious around Texarkana. I used to see at least one DPS unit every time i went through there back and forth on weekends going to Little Rock and Points North from East Texas.  I-30 on the AR side has great heavily treed medians between the highway which have pull-offs where the Arky State Patrol used to pull up into so they could clock you without being spotted. Of course, I haven't been up that way in years, and it seemed like I-30 on the Arky side was under destruction for 10 years or so in one direction or the other.

Once you clear Memphis on to about Arkadelphia, the scenery was great.  It flattens out a bit from there to about Mount Pleasant/Sulphur Springs, TX.

Also, remember that Beltline Rd is exactly that.  60 miles later, you can be way on the other (i.e., south) side of Dallas out well past Oak Cliff. Please confine yourself to Beltline between 75 and I-35.  You'll thank me later.
GPS is also your friend in Dallas, along with a GOOD map. Most of it is wooded enough, and flat enough in Greater Dallas that you will have no distant landmark references from a distance if you can't see downtown.  Our major north/south and east/west roads tend to run straight in those directions. Beware of people making U-turns at intersections, too. They are legal here unless prohibited by signage, but hey, they're printed in English and who reads/speaks it anyway?

Enjoy!

Regards,
Rabbit.

[spinr]

Oh, avoid downtown this coming Sunday, if you know whats good for you.

jfruser is quite correct. I'm leaving town for the weekend. The dogs and to a lesser extent, the cats will be guarding the house.  Avoid downtown Dallas this weekend. I do suspect there will be trouble of one form or another and I'm keeping clear of it.

I know the NASCAR crowd is in town this weekend.  Is that what y'all are talking about, or is there something else sinister afoot?

[roo_ster]

NASCAR is just a bunch of folks gathering to have a good time, some of which includes riotous tailgate parties & a car race.

Quite different from the illegal alien/racist riot/demonstration planned for 09APR.

Below is an email from my church (located downtown west of the Guadalupe catholic Church.  

Dear FBD member,
 
On this Sunday, April 9 there will be a parade from Guadalupe Catholic Church on Ross Avenue to City Hall.  The Dallas Police Department has informed us that the crowd may be large and some people may not follow the parade route.  They may walk down the streets by the church either going to or coming from City Hall.
 
They (DPD) have asked us not to park on the street, primarily as a precautionary move to prevent vandalism to automobiles.  Please park in one of the garages or on the surface lot on St. Paul across from the church.
 
If you have a question, please call me at 214-215-6827.
 
Thank you,
 

Scott Ward
Downtown Ministries Pastor/

[spinr]

NASCAR is just a bunch of folks gathering to have a good time, some of which includes riotous tailgate parties & a car race.

Quite different from the illegal alien/racist riot/demonstration planned for 09APR.

Below is an email from my church (located downtown west of the Guadalupe catholic Church.  

Dear FBD member,
 
On this Sunday, April 9 there will be a parade from Guadalupe Catholic Church on Ross Avenue to City Hall.  The Dallas Police Department has informed us that the crowd may be large and some people may not follow the parade route.  They may walk down the streets by the church either going to or coming from City Hall.
 
They (DPD) have asked us not to park on the street, primarily as a precautionary move to prevent vandalism to automobiles.  Please park in one of the garages or on the surface lot on St. Paul across from the church.
 
If you have a question, please call me at 214-215-6827.
 
Thank you,
 

Scott Ward
Downtown Ministries Pastor/

Oh... I see.

I didn't really figure the racing folks to be a problem, all of the race crowds I've been around have always been a jovial bunch.

I won't be getting into town until sometime in the mid-afternoon or evening, and can't see any reason to that I'd be in the area of the demonstratation.

Thanks for the info.